1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coin carrying device to be incorporated into a coin handling machine, such as a coin wrapping machine or a coin sorting machine and, more particularly, to a coin carrying device suitable for carrying coins having a periphery provided with circumferential groove.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 5 shows a coin wrapping machine, i.e., an example of a coin handling machine, to which the present invention is applied. As shown in FIG. 5, the coin wrapping machine has a frame 1 having a coin hopper 2 with an open upper end for receiving coins, and. A rotary disk 3 for receiving coins loaded through the coin hopper 2 is disposed in the frame 1. A coin carrying device 6xe2x80x2 is disposed adjacent to the rotary disk 3.
The coin carrying device 6xe2x80x2 has a carrying passage 7 extending between an entrance and an exit to guide a plurality of coins in a single diametrical row from the entrance to the exit, and a rotary disk 4 for feeding coins one by one to the entrance of the carrying passage 7. The rotary disk 3 feeds coins to the rotary disk 4. An accumulating unit 5 is disposed at the exit of the carrying passage 7 to accumulate coins delivered thereto in a vertical stack.
Referring to FIGS. 6A and 6B showing a coin carrying mechanism for carrying coins fed by the rotary disk 4 along the carrying passage 7, a carrying belt 8 is extended over a central part of the carrying passage 7. A coin counter, not shown, that counts coins passed by the coin counter and a stopper 9 capable of being advanced into and retracted from the carrying passage 7 are disposed in a downstream section of the carrying passage 7. Every time a predetermined number of coins pass the coin counter, i.e., every time a predetermined number of coins are accumulated in the accumulating unit 5, the stopper 9 is advanced into the carrying passage 7 to restrain coins in the carrying passage 7 forcibly from being carried.
Coins C being carried in a horizontal position in a diametrical row along the carrying passage 7 by the carrying belt 8 are counted by the coin counter and the coins C are discharged through the exit of the carrying passage 7. Then, the coin C collides against a stopping wall 10 of the coin accumulating unit 5 and drops into a space between a pair of vertical belts 11 of the coin accumulating unit 5 (FIG. 5). Then, the coins C dropped into the space between the pair of vertical belts 11 are accumulated in a vertical stack on projections 11a projecting from the opposite surfaces of the vertical belts 11.
In the coin wrapping machine shown in FIG. 5, a wrapping unit 12 is disposed below the coin accumulating unit 5. The wrapping unit 12 receives a stack of coins C from the coin accumulating unit 5 and wraps the coins C in wrapping paper 13. A coin package thus formed by wrapping coins C by the wrapping unit 12 is discharged through a discharge opening 14 formed in a lower part of the frame 1.
Ordinary coins separate from the succeeding coins and drop smoothly into the coin accumulating unit 5 as shown in FIG. 6B. However, coins having a circumferential groove Cb in the periphery thereof, such as a Euro two cent coin Ca shown in FIG. 7A in a sectional view (such a coin will be referred to as xe2x80x9ccircumferentially grooved coinxe2x80x9d) cannot be normally accumulated by the conventional coin carrying device because of the following phenomenon.
When circumferentially grooved coins Ca are carried successively in a row, the movement of the coins Ca is checked by the stopper 9 advanced into the carrying passage 7 upon the passage of the predetermined number of the coins. At this moment, parts of the peripheries of the adjacent circumferentially grooved coins Ca are liable to be meshed into the circumferential grooves Cb of the adjacent coins Ca as shown in FIG. 7B and the circumferentially grooved coins Ca are liable to be linked with each other. Even if the head coin of the row of circumferentially grooved coins Ca thus linked with each other reaches the coin accumulating unit 5 and collides against the stopping wall 10, the head circumferentially grooved coin Ca is unable to drop normally and hence the circumferentially grooved coins Ca cannot be normally stacked up.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a coin carrying device capable of properly carrying circumferentially grooved coins, such as Euro two cent coins, not to mention ordinary coins.
With the foregoing object in view, the present invention provides a coin carrying device comprising: a carrying structure defining a carrying passage along which coins are carried in a diametrical row, having an entrance and an exit; a coin feed mechanism for feeding coins one by one to the entrance of the carrying passage; a carrying mechanism for carrying the coins fed to the carrying structure from the entrance to the exit along the carrying passage; a stopping member disposed near the exit of the carrying passage so as to be advanced into and retracted from the carrying passage and capable of forcibly stopping the advancement of the coins when advanced into the carrying passage; a coin separating member having a contact part capable of being laterally advanced into and retracted from the carrying passage at a position downstream from the second coin from the head coin stopped in the carrying passage by the stopping member; and a biasing member for biasing the contact part of the coin separating member toward the carrying passage; wherein the contact part of the coin separating member advanced into the carrying passage is pressed against a periphery of the coin being carried, the contact part is urged away from the carrying passage by the coin passing the contact part against biasing force of the biasing member, and the contact part is advanced again by the biasing member into the carrying passage after the coin has passed the contact part.
The successive coins can be forcibly separated from each other near the exit of the carrying passage by the biasing force of the biasing member exerted through the contact part of the coin separating member on the preceding one of the adjacent coins. Consequently, the coins linked with each other or arranged in contact with each other when the advancement of the row of coins is stopped forcibly by the stopping member can be separated from each other before reaching the exit of the carrying passage. Therefore, circumferentially grooved coins, not to mention ordinary coins, can be separated from each other and can be properly carried.
Preferably, the coin carrying device further comprises a retaining mechanism capable of retaining the coin separating member with the contact part thereof retracted from the carrying passage.
When carrying coins other than circumferentially grooved coins, the retaining mechanism retains the coin separating member with the contact part thereof retracted from the carrying passage to prevent the coin separating member from useless actions.
Preferably, the width of the carrying passage can be adjusted to a value corresponding to a diameter of coins to be carried along the carrying passage, and the coin carrying device further comprises an interlocking mechanism interlocking the carrying structure with the coin separating member and capable of automatically retaining the coin separating member with the contact part thereof retracted from the carrying passage when the width of the carrying passage is adjusted.
When the width of the carrying passage is adjusted to a value corresponding to the diameter of a circumferentially grooved coins, the coin separating member can be automatically retained in a retracted state by the interlocking mechanism. Therefore, any special operation and any independent driving means for operating the retaining mechanism are unnecessary, operability is improved, and the use of the interlocking mechanism is advantageous in cost.
The contact part of the coin separating member may be a roller. The roller serving as the contact part enables smooth operation of the coin separating member.
The coin separating member may be a lever having one end provided with the contact part.
The biasing member may be a spring connected to the other end of the lever serving as the coin separating member.